


Welcome to Honia.

by ak47stylegirl



Series: Royal Tracys Au [1]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Big Brothers, Family, Family Secrets, Modern Royalty, Mystery, Protective Older Brothers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2020-07-07 17:51:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19856449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ak47stylegirl/pseuds/ak47stylegirl
Summary: Welcome to the crazy lives of Honia's royal family XD there's suspense, secrets and mystery that hide under the surface, secrets that would shake the family and country to the core... and there is, of course, a whole lot of fun XD (the first instalment of my Royal Tracy au 😄)





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit - rewrote some bits of this chapter so it would fit better into the continuity of the other chapters.

The waves crash against the cliffy shores of the country of Honia, the moon shining in the background. 

Honia was a lush, green country with plenty of resources, that have made the country very wealthy over the hundreds of years it has existed. It was located on the Far East coastline of Europe, a lot of Honia’s beaches were very rocky and cliffy but there were some nice beaches, they were just harder to find.

There were mountains all around Honia, acting as a natural border for centuries, anything before the mountains (plus a couple of mountains themselves) was theirs and anything passed the mountains wasn’t. 

But because of the mountains, their winters got very cold and wet and windy and cold … _yeah it was very obvious he didn’t like winter, wasn’t it?_

_It didn’t help that he always ended up catching a pretty nasty cold (or flu, it was debatable with how bad it got at times) whenever winter hit, no matter what his brothers did to try and pervert it, he always got sick! He was always sick.._

_It was not fair…_

_Summer was a lot better honestly, it was warmer and it meant he could play outside without freezing to death…okay, he may be exaggerating but still, summer, plus spring were way better than winter._

_But unfortunately, it was winter right now and he couldn’t play outside in the palace grounds, at least not without heaps of layers on that is and that just took the fun away…_

_And If you were wondering, yes he did say palace. He was the youngest son of King Jefferson and the late Queen Lucille, making him one of the Princes._

_And because of that, he lived in a palace. He guesses it pretty cool, not all six-year-old get to say they live in a palace but honestly? It’s not all that exciting to him, because it’s all he ever has known... He was guarded and monitored twenty-four-seven, he wasn't really allowed to wander the palace by himself, though that never stops him from trying and really, the palace was one of the most guarded places in the country, not like something was going to happen to him and even if something did, there was always someone that would be near and able to help._

_He did live in a palace, after all. There was a bucket load of servents and workers that made sure everything ran perfectly, plus his brothers could also be found around the palace as well...he was mostly only allowed in the private family areas such as the family drawing-room, the big dining hall (that only really got used for big events like birthdays otherwise. They mostly eat their everyday meals in their apartments' dining rooms, sometimes together, sometimes not) Scott's royal apartments (with his bedroom was a part of) and his brothers' and father's royal apartments. He was also allowed in the library but only if someone was with him, same with the gardens..._

_He always partly wondered why his bedroom was connected to Scott’s part of the palace instead of his father’s apartments but he couldn't complain, he'll be honest he always felt more comfortable around Scott than his father. Plus with his health being...well not the best by any standards, he needed that adult that he could turn to at a moments notice and his father just wasn't available to him like Scott was..._

_Anyway, enough about that, as he_ _mentioned before, he has brothers. Four very overprotective older brothers, like really overprotective! They got overprotectiveness down to an art form at this point… There was this time when he was about four years old and he had sneaked away from his nanny to explore the palace at night. First mistake. He had ended up_ _hopelessly lost wandering the hallways and then a thunderstorm started. And as you would have it, t_ _hunderstorms happened to be one of his biggest fears..._

_He ended up hiding in one of the rooms, which ended up being an art gallery. Mistake number two. It was dark in the gallery, so all those old paintings looking at him only terrified him more. He ended up curling up into a ball in the corner of the room and that was they found him a couple of hours later._ _Honestly no wonder they kept him on a short leash, he pretty sure Scott and his father had more grey hairs after that night._

_Scott was his eldest brother and The Crown Prince of Honia, destined to be The King one day but to him, he was just Scotty. The big brother that gave him cuddles and always looks out for him, no matter what..._

_Then there was his brother John or as he was officially known, Prince Johnathan of Honia. John doesn’t really like being called by his full name surprisingly, he says surprisingly because John is a very by the books kind of guy, so he would think John would want to be called by his full name but nope, the guy hates it._ _He wasn’t complaining, ‘John’ was easier for him to pronounce than ‘Johnathan’ anyway._

_His next brother was Virgil, who may look intimidating at first glance but really he was just a big softy, who loved so intensely, always seeing the best in people. Though don’t touch his paints without his permission, he doesn’t really like that... he knows from experience..._

_Then there was Gordon, the family’s jokester. Gordon was always trying to make people laugh, always looking on the bright side of things. Gordon wasn’t home a lot as he was in the Honia Royal navy but when he was home, he and Gordon would play all sorts of games!_

_Then there was himself, Alan, the royal family’s baby. The child that was protected at all cost. He remembers hearing someone calling him the baby of the nation one time, that if something happens to him the whole nation would be up in arms._ _He wasn’t sure about the nation part but he sure knows his brothers would rage all hell if something was to happen to him._

_And he wasn’t joking about the baby part, He wasn’t exactly planned….like at all. Scott was in his twenties when he was born, making him much, much younger than his brothers. Like twenty years younger!_

_And that age difference could be why his mother….why his mother died in childbirth with him. He doesn’t really know what happened really and when he asks about his mother and what happened to her, he always gets told that 'you’re too young to understand right now..’ that told him nothing!_

_It was actually really scary when he thought about it. What were they hiding from him, what had happened leading up to his birth and why wouldn’t he understand? It scared him….like…like was he…he the reason he didn’t have a mum? It seemed like it at times..._

_He remembers one time when Scott was tucking him into bed when he was a bit younger then he was now. He asked Scott ‘what was mummy like?’ and Scott had frozen, like…like he been electrocuted, going scarcely pale before snapping out of it a second later._ _It…it had scared him, why did Scott freeze like that?_

_Scott had, of course, reassured him that everything was okay and that he just wasn’t expecting the question but something deep down told him that Scotty wasn’t telling him the whole truth…but he didn’t ask into it because…because Scott freezing like that really scared him okay? And he was a lot younger back then too..._

_But because of that and just the fact that his brothers looked so sad whenever he asks, (he wasn’t game to ask his father) he learnt not to ask about his mother, even though he really wants to know more about her._ _He hated not knowing something but that was just a part of his life, there was always something he couldn’t know. Royal life was filled with secrets, he just had to get used to it. Though he still longed to know more about his other parent, especially with his father being so distant._

_You’re probably wondering about his father, aren’t you? He guessed it was pretty obvious but he wasn’t very close with his father. He didn’t understand why but his father always seemed so distant around him, unreachable. A small part of him wonders if that was because…because if it wasn’t for him, his mum would be alive still... his father had been deeply in love with his mother, that he knew for a fact..._

_He knew it was ridiculous to think such a thing, his father loved and cared for him, he was just busy with being king, that’s all...But he can’t help but think it at times._ _Especially when he can’t sleep, like now. He was woken up by a bad dream, he couldn’t really remember what it was about but he could remember what it made him feel and it wasn’t nice. It was not nice..._

He sighed, leaning his cheek against his window. He was sitting in a little window nook, looking out at the night sky through his opened window. _His father wasn’t around often and when he was, he was too busy for him. So, no wonder they weren’t really close..._ _In truth, Scott was the one that did a lot of the parenting, like he doesn’t remember a time when Scott wasn’t like a parent to him, he just always been there._

_Sure he had a nanny, who looked after him and was an awesome lady (he wish he could say the same about his governess…) but Scott helped out a lot, even though the guy didn’t have too. Scott was already so busy with being the crown prince, he didn’t need to look after him but he did and that was one of the reason that he loved and looked up to Scott so much, Scott was always there. All his brothers were..._

He yawned, rubbing his eyes as he looked at his solar system clock that hung on his wall. _He wasn't that good at reading time yet but even he could tell it was way…way past his bedtime. He_ _knew Scott wouldn’t be happy with him being up at this time of night if he caught him..._ _But he couldn’t sleep! He couldn’t! That…that dream will come back if he…if he goes back to sleep and…and it was scary and..and-_

He half sobbed, rubbing at his eyes trying to stop himself from crying. _He should probably go to Scott with this, he really should,_ he thought looking at his door that connected his room to Scott’s apartments. _It would be so easy to just walk the short distance to Scott’s bedroom and crawl into bed with him, safe from the horrors of his nightmare in his big brother’s arms..._

_But…but he was a big boy now,_ he thought as he turned away from the door, pulling his knees up to his chest. _He was six now, a big boy and big boys could handle a little dream…it…it wasn’t even that bad…it really…it really wasn’t that…that bad,_ he tried to convince himself but it wasn’t really working.

He sniffled again, _it was taking all his will power to keep himself from bursting into tears, he didn’t know how long he could keep this up f-_

“Young man, what do you think you are doing up at this hour?” 


	2. Chapter 2

He jumped in surprise, turning around to find Scott looking down at him with a frown. Looking really unimpressed but there was also a lot of worry in Scott’s eyes as well.

“Well, I’m waiting, why are you up, Alan?” Scott asked, crossing his arms. “And why is your window open? Didn’t I tell you not to have it open at night?”

He watched Scott with wide eyes, _feeling shell shocked at Scott’s sudden appearance but that was quickly changing into an uncontrollable urge to cry his eyes out._

The gold band on Scott’s ring finger shined in the moonlight as Scott closed the window before looking down at him again.

Scott sighed, kneeling down in front of him. Obviously seeing that he was on the verge of tears.

“Allie, what’s wrong?” Scott asked gently, cupping his cheek “why are you up at this time of night, sweetheart?”

And just like that, he broke. “Scotty!” He sobbed a heart-wrenching sob as he leapt forward into Scott’s arms, throwing his arms around Scott’s neck.

Scott’s arms wrapped around him tightly, “Oh baby, shhh, I got you” Scott kissed his temple softly, holding him close as he cried. “I got you…”

He felt Scott stand up, holding him securely in his arms. “Shhhh, it’s okay..it’s okay” Scott whispered softly, bouncing him up and down slightly, like how you would calm a crying toddler. 

“Come on, let’s take this over to your bed, okay?”

He sniffled, his head laying on Scott’s shoulder, little heartbreaking sob still erupting from his chest. His eyes widen as he realises that his stuffed toy dog was still on the window seat. 

“Patch!” he cried, reaching for his toy over Scott’s shoulder. “I WaNT Patch! Don’t Leave Patch!” 

Scott’s eyes widened. “Shhh, shhh it’s okay, I got him” Scott backtracked, picking up his toy.“We can’t forget patch, now can we sweetie?” Scott smiled softly at him, handing him his stuffed toy dog.

He just sobbed, hugging his toy to his chest. 

Scott frowned. “Oh baby, shhh it’s alright…it’s alright” Scott kissed his forehead, “I’m here, shhh…” Scott sat down on his bed, leaning against the headrest. “What’s the matter? Why are you crying, baby?”

He looked up at Scott, tears spilling out of his eyes still.

“Are you feeling sick, baby?” Scott laid his hand on his forehead, looking so worried. 

He sniffled, shaking his head “i…i..had..i-” he rubbed his eyes with his fist, trying to _stop the tears that would just not stop!_ “I…had bad…bad dream..” he sobbed, laying his head on Scott’s chest “i…i..didn’t want to…to bother yo-you.” 

“Oh, my little one” Scott sighed, hugging him close “You are never a bother, if you need me, you come to me, okay?” Scott was rubbing his back, he gentle motion was really nice and comforting. 

“I…i know…i..just wanted…. I just want to be brave like you, you never get scared…” he sniffled.

A startled chuckle erupted from Scott, “I would like to say I don’t get scared kiddo, but I do, I get scared.”

He looks up at Scott with wide eyes, “you…you do?” he asked in disbelief. “But you’re a …a grown-up, I thought grown-ups don’t get scared?”

Scott laughed, “oh grown-ups get scared sweetie, trust me” Scott leaned his forehead against his, “we get scared all the time…”

“Really? What scares you?” he asked innocently. 

Scott raised an eyebrow “What scares me? Wow you’re asking the hard questions tonight, ain’t you kiddo?” Scott smiled softly at him before sighing. “Well… I guess l don’t like those birds that always swoop at me….” Scott frowned. “Like really, what did I ever do to them..” Scott mutters under his breath. 

He cracks a small smile at that, _Scott was really wary about the birds that would nest in the gardens in spring, never letting him go to close to them. The mental image of Scott running away from a little bird was really funny…_

Scott smiled down at him “oh yeah, laugh all you want kiddo, but having a bird swoop at you is scary” Scott laughed, giving him a cuddle. 

“Is that why you don’t let me go near them?” he asked, _starting to feel a lot better but also starting to feel really sleepy now too._

Scott nodded, “yes, I don’t want you getting hurt, now do I?” Scott smiled softly at him, “now that is something that scares me.”

His eyes widened, “me getting hurt scares you?”

Scott frowned “of course it does, I love you alan and just the idea of you getting hurt, it terrifies me kiddo” Scott kissed his forehead. “Especially with having lost-” Scott’s eyes widen for a millisecond, “well, it’s just not something I like to think about kiddo…”

_If he was more awake, he might have asked about what Scott meant, having lost what? What had Scott lost? And why did Scott not want him to know? But he was just too sleepy at this point to bother asking, he just wants to go to bed.._.

“I’m sleepy…” he mumbled, snuggling into Scott. 

“I can see that” Scott smiled softly at him, hugging him gently. “Okay, time for bed,” Scott lowered him gently, so he was laying down on his bed with his head resting on his pillow.

“Stay?” he asked as Scott tucked the blankets around him. He really didn’t want Scott leaving. 

“I’m not going anywhere, don’t worry baby” Scott laid down on top of the bed covers, smiling at him with the most loving smile “Now, shhh, close those sleepy eyes of yours.” 

He did as he was told, snuggling up to Scott the best he could. He felt Scott’s arm draped over him, making him feel safe and protected. 

“Lullaby?” he yawned. 

Scott chuckled, “I had a feeling that was coming…” Scott kissed his hair, smiling softly. “The same one as usual?”

He nodded, yawning again.

“Okay, one lullaby coming up,” Scott said softly before he started singing “My little star, oh my little star, sleep now my little one…” Scott’s voice washed over him, calming any lingering fears that he had. “Little gift given to us, you shine so bright, oh my little star…”

The last thing he heard before sleep took him was Scott whispering the last line of the lullaby, “..oh my little star, you are loved more than you know, oh my little star, sleep now my little one…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm taking Prompts NOW for this fic! 😁 I'm really excited to explore this world with you, so yeah hit me up with your ideas 😄


	3. Green Car

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter for @gumnut-logic

**Virgil pov.**

A little bit away from the main area of the palace sat a large garage, which held all the cars that the royal family owned and used.

It was filled to the brim with cars, from the sleek black cars that were for everyday use, to the more personal vehicles. _Most of the cars they used were built or updated to be more environment-friendly than those used in the past._

_His father had a thing for old cars, he had a whole collection of them, from the likes of 1965 Ford Thunderbird convertible to an old fashion sports car._

_Scott owned two cars, a blue Lamborghini and Red Tesla roadster. Out of both vehicles, Scott mostly only ever drives the blue Lamborghini. The roadster hasn’t actually been driven in almost seven years, but Scott refuses to part with it._

_He could understand, that car held high sentimental value for Scott, no way was Scott getting rid of it._

_John didn’t really have an interest in cars, if it got him where he needed to go, it was good enough for him._

_Then there was Gordon…..oh boy if given the change that boy would have his own submarine. Gordon had a bright yellow Rolls-Royce, which he loves like there is no tomorrow. Gordon also had a little speed boat and an old fashioned sailboat._

_Alan was too young to have a car of his own or to even sit in the front seat. The kid wasn’t really allowed down here, it wasn’t safe for a six-year-old to be down here, too many ways for him to get hurt with cars going in and out and people working on the cars, keeping them in tiptop condition, just not safe._

_But on the odd time that he let Alan come down with him, the kid was drawn to the red roadster. He remembers catching Alan play driving it once, almost giving him a heart attack because Scott was very protective of that car and if Alan had broken something…he didn’t even want to think about Scott’s reaction… thought with it being alan, it may have been okay but still…_

_The kid didn’t break anything luckily, and Scott never found out, so he could breathe easy, but he swears he has some grey hairs in his telltale black hair because of that._

_Then there was his car, a green pickup truck. It wasn’t a car you would think a prince would own or be found working under, but that was precisely where he was._

_He found a certain amount of satisfaction in fixing something with his own two hands. It was his way of getting away, because when he was working on his car or painting or playing his piano, he didn’t need to be prince Virgil, he didn’t need to be perfect, he didn’t have the whole family and country reputation on his shoulders, he could just be Virgil, plain old Virgil, nothing more and he loved it._

“Hey Virg, you coming out any time soon?” He pulled himself out from under the car at his brother’s voice.

“Coming out? You mean the fact that I like boys and girls?” he grinned up at Scott, sitting up and wiping his hands on his rag. _He knew Scott didn’t mean that kind of coming out, but he couldn’t help teasing his brother on his word choice, it was a well-known fact by now that he liked both men and woman and he wasn’t above having a little fun with it._

Scott laughed, “Okay, I should have worded that differently,” Scott smiled, “so what have you been doing down here?”

“Just a little bit of maintenance, the clutch was playing up a bit, so I fixed it and I think I’m going to have a look the bracks too while I’m at it and…yeah, maybe a little more then a little bit of maintenance” he chuckled, thinking about what he had done so far and what else he wanted to do.

Scott chuckled, “I really don’t see why you don’t just let one of the mechanics do it,” Scott said, leaning against one of the cars nearly. “They are good at what they do and who knows, maybe you could go meet someone interesting” Scott wiggled his eyebrows teasingly.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head with a fond smile “uh one, I like working on my car, sure our mechanics are the best at what they do, but I prefer doing it myself and two…” he trailed off, starting to blush as a cute engineer that he had met overseas came to mind. “Who to say I haven’t?”

“Is it that engineer that you always talking with?” Scott asked, making him blush more. “Oh it is, isn’t it?” Scott was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

He blushed harder, “shut up, it’s not like that, me and him, we’re just friends…” he said, while secretly hoping that he was lying. “Anyway, I could ask you the same question, why don’t you go meet someone nice? You haven’t been on a date in years, about time, don’t you think?” he said without thinking.

His eyes widen as he realises what he just said, _shit!_ He thought watching as Scott’s grin dropped and dark clouds gather in Scott’s eyes.

_He should have known better! Even though it been six years, he should have known better to say that so carelessly!_

“Scott I-”

“No, it’s okay..” Scott waved him off, looking off to the side. “you were just asking, it’s fine.”

Scott’s eyes were filled with bearly masked sorrow, that someone that didn’t know Scott as well as he did would not have noticed at all.

“It’s just too soon for me to…” Scott sighed, looking down at the gold band on his finger. “I can’t do that to her… Not with-it’s just too soon.”

“And that’s okay,” he said, standing up and leaning against the same car that Scott was. “You loved her, it’s okay that you’re not ready, it’s okay if you’re never ready, really I should have known better then to say that, I’m sorry.”

“Really virg, it’s okay, it was an honest question,” Scott said softly, “I’m fine, really” Scott smiled at him, but he couldn’t help but notice that it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m going to go back up to the palace, I got some work I need to get done, see you at lunch?”

“Yeah, yeah i’ll be there” he sighed, realising that _there was nothing he could do because this was an old wound and he had no way of fixing it._

_Tracy men love hard, and when they find the one, it’s game over for them, they’re in for the long run and that why it was so heartbreaking to him because Scott didn’t get the change…_


	4. Bodyguard 2.0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, I'm back!😆 sorry that this chapter took so long 😅 I hope you guys enjoy this!

**\- Bodyguard 2.0 -**

**Kayo pov.**

_Honia was a beautiful country, it was her home even though she wasn’t born there_ , she thought as she watched John make a speech at a function on behalf of the king. _The poor guy was really out of his **comfort** zone…_

_She and her father had moved to the country in seek of refuge, their home country becoming unlivable following the global conflict. She was about seven when the war happened, it was the worst time of her life._

_Her world was falling apart bit by bit. She lost her mother to_ _the conflict, one moment she was there, all warmth and motherly love and then she was **gone** , her world freezing over, not to be thawed until years later._

_At first, she hated that they had to move. She didn’t want to lose anything else, even if her home country was nearly unliveable._

_She didn’t want to leave the place she called home, even if it wasn’t much of a home anymore. But she would later be thankful because moving to honia gave her a new chance at life, a chance to **heal.**_

_Not a lot of people got that._

_The first couple of years after they fled their home country wasn’t easy, they didn’t have a lot of money, her father had to work two jobs at the same time to make enough money to pay the rent, the little bit of leftover money going into **feeding them** …_

_it was a tough time, but at least the threat of death wasn’t hanging over them like it was back in their home country._

_Then everything changed unexpectedly in one night…_

_And all because one **brown hair, blue-eyed** teenager wanted to be a rebel and sneak out of the palace for a night on the town with his friends… _

_Her father was walking home from his work late at night, having worked overtime to get a bit more money for food when he noticed a teenage boy being cornered at **knifepoint** in an alleyway. One thing you need to know about her father, he was an expert in martial arts._

_The thug didn’t stand a **chance…**_

_You can imagine her father’s surprise to learn that the young man that he had just rescued was not only **royalty** but **the eldest son** of the king. Her father stayed with the prince until a palace car picked the teenager up…_

_And more surprises kept coming, only days later did they receive a **personal** letter from the king. Thanking her father for saving his son (who she would imagine was very much **grounded** by that point)and offering her father a job as a juicer Royal guard, which was better pay then her father could ever imagine getting at his other jobs._

_She and her father moved into a small apartment on the palace grounds meant for the guards and their families. As the years passed her father slowly got promoted up the scale until he was head of security and the king’s personal bodyguard._

_Which was a great honour to her father, who considered the king a **good friend.**_

_She wasn’t around a lot during this time, her father having decided to send her to boarding school to give her the best education she could get now that he could afford it. She didn’t mind it, but she didn’t **particularly like it either.**_

_She spent her school holidays at the palace, where she was able to meet and become good friends with the princes, who became like **brothers** to her. _

_Scott, while not at the palace very often because of his training at the Air Force, took on a big brother role with her, making sure to chat with her while he was home and just being friendly and kind to her._

_He also spent a lot of his time while at home with his girlfriend (who would later be his wife), who was also really kind to her as well…_

_There was actually one time when she was about thirteen when she had accidentally found them kissing (and maybe getting close to something **more** than kissing) behind a hedge._

_Scott made her swear not to tell **anybody…**_

_John also took on a similar role of big brother with being a couple years older than her. Through he was a lot quieter and secluded then his brothers, so it took him a bit longer to warm up to her. But once he did, he was **always** there for her. _

_He gave her his personal number, so she could call him while she was at school if she had any homework trouble. She really enjoyed those calls, though they had to be voice calls only because of security reasons._

_Virgil took to her immediately becoming fast friends with her. It probably helped that they were about the same age, Virgil only being a year younger than her._

_Virgil **tried** to teach her to play the piano once, it didn’t go very well…It sounded like someone was **strangling** a cat…_

_Gordon was a lot younger than her, so she didn’t see him as often as his brothers. Though that didn’t stop him from pulling a prank on her, which he shortly realised was a **terrible idea** and never did it again._

_It seemed like she was the one this time around to take on the older sibling role, becoming a sort of big sister to Gordon, and she was not afraid to strike back when needed. Gordon wasn’t the only one that could pull a prank._

_You’re probably wondering what about Alan? Well, Alan wasn’t born at the time, it wouldn’t be until she was a full-grown adult and one of the Royal guards that Alan was born and yes, he was an **adorable** baby…_

_But the day Alan was born…it was one that would **haunt** her for the rest of her life… Alan wasn’t supposed to be born that day, if only she had noticed the **threat** …_

_The country wasn’t supposed to **lose** two queens that day… their current queen and their future queen, Scott’s wife, who was pregnant with Scott’s heir…_

_The royal family wasn’t supposed to lose three members that day…two much-beloved royals and a stillborn baby…_

_The Royal family was **never** the same after that, the king was never the same…the boys she considered her brothers were forever changed, Scott especially…_

_The palace was shrouded in mourning and grief for months…The royal family withdrew from public life, not appearing in public for months…_

_And in the centre of it all was a nursery and a **small premature baby** …a baby that all the doctors believe wouldn’t make it to six months old and at times, it seemed like **they were right…**_

_The following years were hard, Alan was constantly in and out of the **hospital** , constantly unwell, just when he had gotten over one illness, he would catch **another…**_

_There were lots of nights where the whole palace was woken to a **critically ill** Alan being rushed to the hospital…_

_Alan had an immune disorder, which meant that his immune system didn’t work properly…Which made him a perfect target for germs and illnesses, who attacked Alan’s small body unrelentingly, which **struggled** to cope…_

_It didn’t help that Alan also had asthma… **Severe** asthma to be exact, worsened by the fact that Alan’s lungs were weaker and smaller than they should be…_

_All Because Alan was born early… **Far too early…**_

_It all could have been **avoided** , Alan could have been born when he was supposed too, and he would not have those health issues…At least not all of them…_

_**if only they knew,** they wouldn’t have lost so many lives that day, if only they had known, if only she had known about the **threat** …_

_Her own uncle… **her flesh and blood** …how could he…_

_If only she had been a bit more cautious, if only she did her job better… but it was too late now, they could only move forward…she could only move forward…_

_But it was hard, knowing that her uncle was **still out there** …Who knew when he’ll strike again? He could be lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to **strike**._

_At least Alan has been doing better this past year or two. Other than an occasional scare here and there, Alan has been doing a lot better._

_But she wouldn’t say he was a perfectly healthy child, even though she really **wanted too** … the kid was far from healthy, even though he seemed like a normal healthy kid at times, there was a lot underneath that…_

_Alan had a whole list of medication he had to take every day, and she has been told by Alan that some of them were pretty nasty tasting. The kid couldn’t take tablets, so most of his medication was a syrup-like liquid or a capsule that could be broken and mixed in with something like honey or yogurt to make it easier for him to swallow…_

_And mask the taste a bit, she would imagine…_

_The kid also had to go to the doctor once a month for a full thorough check-up, like blood tests and every other test in between… Alan **hated** those check-ups with a **passion** …_

_Then there was Alan’s asthma, which was a royal pain in the ass. Alan could be having lots of fun when suddenly an asthma attack comes and **ruins it all…**_

_A bad asthma attack could leave Alan **bedridden** for days or even hospitalised. They had to be on constant alert for signs of an attack and be ready to stop it before it gets too bad. _

_Alan’s asthma was the worst in winter, and when he was sick, which seemed to constantly overlap. She knew Scott was constantly **terrified** that every time Alan got sick, that he would start on that downward spiral of illness again…_

_She knew all these details not just because she was friends with the princes, but because she was second in command of security after her father and a bodyguard to the princes._

_Some people tried to question her position because her father was the head of security, but their argument went **nowhere.** She earned her position, anybody with eyes could see that._

_And because of her position, she was entrusted with the royal family’s secrets, even their biggest one. She would not reveal a word of any of them, even if she didn’t agree with keeping a particular secret ‘secret’ in the first place…_

_She swore an oath to protect and keep the Royal family safe. She would rather die than betray the royal family, the closest thing she had to a proper family in years. She would not fail to protect them, **not again…**_

_The crowd clapped as John finished his speech and left the stage._


	5. Family time

**John pov.**

The sleek black car pulled up to the entrance of the palace, the sun setting in the background. _That function had gone on forever,_ he thought as he waved goodbye to Kayo with a yawn. Heading inside, the doorman opening the door for him, bowing his head in respect. 

His feet were on autopilot, leading him to one of the family’s drawing rooms. _He really should have gone to his apartments, but that was on the other side of the palace and the couch was calling him,_ He thought as he collapsed on the antique couch face first in exhaustion. 

_Functions were not his cup of tea, as his pink-loving friend in England would like to say. Penny was definitely more adept at dealing with social events than he was…_

_It wasn’t that he didn’t like the charities that hosted those events, the charities that he and his family supported were some of the best, wholesome ones out there. It was just…he really rather stayed in the library with a good book than in a crowded room, filled with people that want to talk to his Royal Highness, Prince Jonathan…_

_Not John Tracy…_

_But social events were expected of them, it was just a fact of life for a Royal. He was used to it…_

“Wow…I haven’t seen you collapse on a couch like that since you were a teenager…” a familiar voice chuckled, sounding bewildered but also slightly amused. 

His eyes, which had slipped close, snapped open as he shot to his feet, trying to make himself look like he hadn’t just been facepalming with a couch. But gravity had other ideas, causing him to fall backwards onto the couch with a thud…

The familiar voice winced, “you’re okay?” Asked Scott, who was sitting in one of the armchairs opposite him, his tablet in hand while a cup of coffee sat on the side table next to him. 

It took him a couple of seconds for his head to catch up to his body but when it did, the relief was overwhelming. “I, yeah, I’m fine Scott…” He said with a little bow of his head, recognising Scott’s higher rank, before collapsing sideways on the couch with a sigh of relief, rolling onto his back.

“Please don’t scare me like that again..” he groaned, covering his eyes with his right forearm, shifting it slightly so he could see Scott, “I swear I nearly had a heart attack…” 

Scott chuckled softly as he took a sip of his coffee, “Do I want to know how that function went?” Scott’s eyes were live with laughter, _his big brother was enjoying this too much…_

He groaned, covering his eyes with his arm again, blocking out the light of the room. “You don’t want to know…” 

_Oh, he could feel a headache coming on…_

“So much talking, so many people…the food was okay though but argh…so many people…” he groaned again, “I really hope you had a better afternoon than I did…”

“It has been okay, I guess…” Scott said with a yawn, his hand coming up to cover his mouth, “I was able to get a fair bit of work done today, as well as speak with a couple of diplomats on father’s behalf..” 

_That’s…sounds like fun…_ he thought with a little eye roll, wisely choosing to keep that sarcastic thought to himself…

_Diplomats and politicians were…not the easiest people to deal with, so he was glad Scott was the one that had to deal with them this time. And speaking of their father…_

“Have you had a chance to talk with father lately?” He asked as he rubbed his eyes, the headache starting to set in good now. “I haven’t been able to call him in a couple days so I’m a bit out of the loop-“

A little gasp sounded from the entrance of the drawing-room, “Johnny! You’re home!” An excited squeal echoed through the room, followed by the sound of running footsteps.

And before he could even fathom what was going on, he suddenly had a six-year-old child on his chest, hugging all the air out of his lungs “I missed you!” Alan cheered, snuggling into him. 

“Hi..Allie..” he chuckled weakly as he tried to get some air into his lungs, giving Alan’s soft blond hair a little ruffle, “I missed you too but um, I was only gone for a couple of hours?” He asked in confusion, looking at Scott for help. 

Which turned out to be a mistake because _Scott was no help_ …the man in question having broken down into roaring laughter at his predicament, _like he never had Alan unexpectedly jump on him before…_

He glared at his big brother, not finding the current situation as funny as Scott seemed to find it. Scott was full-body laughing, holding his stomach as he bent forward with laughter, tears of joy in his eyes. 

Alan was just sitting on his chest now, looking mega confused as he shifted his eyes between them with his wide baby blues.

Alan’s nanny stood near the entrance of the drawing-room, looking startled, confused, and slightly terrified by the turn of events. _She was probably worried she was going to get in trouble for letting Alan jump on him…_

_Which wasn’t really a big deal, but she was a new recruit, wasn’t she?_ He thought to himself, taking note for future reference. _The new recruits always seemed to act like they had the power to cut off their heads or something…_

_Which, okay, maybe back in medieval times that was possible but come on, it was the twenty-first century,_ he thought with a chuckle as he tried to take a deep breath in…

_Only to realise that, oh yeah, Alan was still sitting on his chest…_

_And the kid wasn’t that light either, so breathing was not the easiest thing to do,_ he thought with a little gasp, not wanting to tell Alan out-right to get off, _but he needed to breathe!_

Lucky for him, Scott had finished laughing and had decided to take pity on him…

“Allie-baby, why don’t you come over here?” Scott chuckled softly as he patted his lap. “Johnny had a big day and he’s really tired, sweetheart…” 

Alan blinked at Scott before looking down at him, “Oh…” Alan whispered softly as he crawled off his chest. “Sorry, Johnny…”

A big sigh of relief escaped him as the weight on his chest disappeared, letting him finally breathe properly once again. _Honestly, when did that little pup get so heavy? He’s growing up too fast…_

“It’s okay, Allie..” he smiled at Alan, who was happily nestled into Scott’s side now, his little head resting on Scott’s chest. _The kid was just plain adorable, those big baby blue eyes and little button nose. The kid could make even the toughest man crack from the cuteness…._

_And it is easy to see where he gets it from,_ he thought with a smile as he glanced up at Scott, who was smiling softly down at Alan, an arm wrapped tenderly around the kid. _Those blue eyes were almost identical…_

“So what have you been up to today, kiddo?” Scott asked softly, pulling the kid close in an embrace, tenderly kissing the top of Alan’s head, “I heard that you had your nap a little bit earlier today. You feeling okay?” 

He felt a tingle of concern at that statement, his smile dropping as all the times Alan had been stuck in bed, horribly sick and unwell flashed through his mind. 

“I was…I was just tired…” Alan mumbled shyly, sucking his thumb as he snuggled into Scott’s side, very obviously not liking where the conversation had gone. “Didn’t sleep good…” 

Scott’s lips pressed together into a frown, his forehead creasing in worry, the concern clouding his eyes. 

“Hey, Allie…” he smiled, getting Alan’s and Scott’s attention, “did you learn anything interesting today?” He asked, changing the subject to something more cheerful. 

Alan’s baby blue eyes lit up like fireworks, a big grin bursting on to the kid’s face, “Yeah! I did, I did!” Alan cheered loudly, starting to bounce up and down on Scott’s lap, overflowing with excitement. “And it’s really really cool!”

He had to bite his lip to stop the bark of laughter that wanted to escape as Scott winced. _Having a bouncing, excited kid on one’s lap or to be more precise, one’s sensitive, manly parts was not a nice feeling…_

“And what is that, kiddo?” Scott asked with a smile trying to disguise his discomfort as he gently stilled Alan’s excited bouncing “What is this really cool thing, hmm?” Scott cuddled Alan close, resting his cheek lightly on the kid’s head.

“Um well…” Alan blinked up at Scott owlishly, nibbling at his bottom lip, ”Mrs. Anders had me reading a new book today and well… there was this weird looking animal in it!” Alan grinned at them, his eyes lively with excitement. 

“Weird looking animal?” He smiled encouragingly at Alan, always happy to see Alan learning new things. “What kind of animal was it, kiddo?” 

“Um…” Alan’s eyebrows creased in concentration, the kid pressing his lips together as he thought hard, “Mrs. Anders said it was called a…a D-ira-ffe?” Alan spelt out slowly, looking slightly unsure of himself. 

“A Giraffe?” Scott corrected with a little chuckle, a soft tender smile on his face as he looked down at the kid on his lap. There was unfiltered love in his eyes. 

“Yeah a d-iraffe!” Alan grinned, nodding enthusiastically. “It’s neck is so funny! It’s so long!” Alan giggled, his eyes bright with excitement. “And it’s tongue is blue!” Alan stuck his tongue out for demonstration, pointing at it. “Wish my tongue was blue…” 

He and Scott both chuckled, each very much amused by Alan’s excited ramble… _the kid could be so cute at times._

“Well, this is unusual…” Virgil chuckled as he entered the room, wearing his favourite red plaid shirt. “We’re all in the same place for once! Did I miss the memo?” 

“Virgie!” Alan bounced up with a cheer, causing Scott to yelp in surprise and alarm as Alan very nearly tumbled off the side of the armchair…

_The kid was lucky Scott had such a fast reaction time, otherwise Alan would have gotten a face full of carpet,_ he thought as Alan giggled at Scott sheepishly, the older man giving the kid a stern look, arm firmly wrapped around Alan’s middle… 

“Hey Allie..” Virgil smiled softly, a bit of laughter in his voice as he came to stand next to Scott’s chair, subtly bowing his head to him and Scott. “What have you guys been up to? John, how did that function go?” 

“You don’t want to know…” he answered dryly as he sat up with a yawn, the day’s work catching up to him. “Why don’t you ask Allie what he learned about today?” 

Alan’s eyes lit up like fireworks as Virgil turn to him. “Mrs. Anders show me a D-iraffe! They have blue tongues! and they’re so long!” Alan giggled, a giant grin on his face. ”They’re really weird but super duper cool at the same time!” 

“That they are..” Virgil chuckled softly, a fond look in his eyes as he ruffled Alan’s soft blond hair, “you sure had fun today, haven’t you kiddo?” 

“Yeah!” Alan said before yawning softly, rubbing his eyes sleepy. “It…it was fun but…” Alan yawned again.. “when’s dinner?” 

All the adults in the room chuckled at Alan’s question. 

Scott looked at his watch, “Hmm, we should probably have dinner soon and then get you kiddo into bed..” Scott stroked Alan’s hair back gently, a tender look on his face. “Especially if you’re having trouble sleeping..”

Alan pouted, shaking Scott’s hand off. Scott just sighed softly… 

“Dinner does sound good, I wonder what the chefs are going to put on the menu tonight..” Virgil wondered out loud, his stomach growling. “Hey, why don’t you guys join me in my quarters tonight for dinner?” Virgil suggested with a smile. “We haven’t done that in a while, it will be nice…”

“Brilliant idea, Virg.” Scott smiled at Virgil before tapping his watch, opening a commline to his private secretary, Gary, who was Scott’s go-to man for nearly everything. Alan watched in curiosity. 

“Yes, your highness?” The gruff pouch voice of Gray answered. 

“Me and Alan are going to have our dinner in Virgil’s quarters tonight, Gary. Can you arrange that?” Scott spoke into his watch while gently shooing away Alan’s curious fingers with a little disapproving frown. 

Alan collapsed back against Scott’s chest with a pout, his arms crossed against his chest. _The kid was obviously getting bored…_

“Of course, sir.” Gary answered with speed. “I will notify all the necessary staff right away. Will that be all, sir?”

Scott lowered his watch slightly and looking at him, quietly asked, “John, what about you?” Are you joining us for dinner tonight? 

He frowned slightly as he thought about it. _He was dead tired and, he’ll admit, feeling a bit emotionally drained from the event. He really just needed to have some alone time, even though he really did want to spend some time with his brothers. He was exhausted._

He shook his head as he stood up with a yawn. “I’m just going to have dinner in my quarters tonight, but maybe next time?” He smiled softly at his brothers. Alan had dozed off slightly against Scott’s chest. 

“Sure, John, that’s fine.” Virgil smiled softly at him as Scott ended the call with Gary. “You look dead tired, you should get an early night tonight.”

“Planning too..” he smiled as he gently ruffled Alan’s blond locks as he walked passed. The kid blinked sleepily up at him. “Goodnight, Allie. You behave for Scott and Virgil.” 

“He better behave…” Scott chuckled softly, a playful look appearing in his eyes, “or I’ll eat him all up, yumgh yumrgh!” Scott pretends to gobble Alan up, tickling the kid’s belly button as well as layering heaps of kisses to the kid’s face. 

Which in turn caused Alan to squeal in outrage at the overload of affection. The kid started to squirm as he tried to get away from the onslaught of Scott’s attacks. 

But Alan ultimately lost as Scott placed one last wet kiss on the kid’s cheek, a smug look on his face as the kid wiggled out of his arms. Alan pouted, rubbing his cheek, wide awake now.

Virgil chuckled. “Come on, Allie. Why don’t we go up to my quarters for dinner before Scott decides he wants to eat you for real.” Virgil grinned, holding his hand out for Alan to take. 

Alan couldn’t take Virgil’s hand fast enough.


End file.
